Comment

Representation ID: 21484

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Charles Church Homes

Agent: Claremont Planning Consultancy

Policy ENV5 – Historic Character & Local Distinctiveness of the Black Country

6.7. The policy seeks to ensure that development proposals sustain and enhance the locally distinctive character of the area, respecting and responding to positive attributes in order to help maintain the cultural identity and strong sense of place of the Black Country. This is an important

consideration for development within the Plan area, however should be balanced against other considerations both in respect of plan-making and decision-taking. In order to meet the development needs of the Plan area, there are likely to be circumstances where changes to the landscape will be required in order to facilitate development that may be considered to adversely affect landscape features, as assessed and demonstrated through the accompanying landscape statement for the Corbett Hospital site. Whilst to a degree this would conflict with this policy, this must be balanced against the need to meet other policy objectives and requirements. As such the safeguarding of existing landscape settings and contexts should not be absolute and must provide for suitable development opportunities in order to achieve the overall strategy and accommodate development within sustainable locations.